Milicia regia

Botanical Description

Milicia regia is a shortly deciduous tree; it usually grows up to 35 metres tall with occasional specimens to 45 metres. The bole is usually straight and cylindrical, often branchless for more than 20 metres, up to 200cm in diameter, without buttresses, but spurs may become very large and extend into long surface roots[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The wood is a highly valued commercial timber in Africa, for which demand is large - it is often harvested from the wild. The tree also supplies food, medicines and various materials for local use. The fruit is sometimes sold in local markets in Ghana[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. Milicia regia is often considered a sacred tree in Africa, it is cultivated outside its native range in parts of west Africa[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. Milicia regia is one of the most valuable commercial timber trees of Africa, due to its attractive appearance, durability, stability and the good working properties of the wood. Exploitation is often unsustainable - in the 1980's, for example, the extraction rate of Milicia regia and Milicia excelsa in Ghana was estimated to be about 173,000 m³ per year, whereas the regeneration rate was estimated to be only about 29,000 m³ per year. Milicia regia is considered to be a priority for in situ conservation[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].